Hopeless
by Ghetto-Kaiba09
Summary: Sequel to "The Power of Love". Yuma and Astral are enjoying the perks of parenting their new baby, Hope, but an old enemy just might return to take it all away.
1. Chapter 1

Without further ado, the long awaited sequel to "The Power of Love"! Thank you all who supported that fic, and sorry to keep you waiting so long!

…

…

Strips of sunlight beamed in through the attic window of the Tsukumo house. Yuma turned onto his left side in order to avoid them, but another noise kept him from returning to sleep. He registered a soft whimpering coming from the corner of the room. Smiling, Yuma tiredly leapt down from his hammock and approached the source of the sound.

"Good morning, princess." He whispered softly, reaching down a hand into the crib to pet his daughter's hair. Hope stopped her squirming and grinned up at her father, outstretching her arms and encouraging him to pick her up.

"Did you sleep alright?" Yuma questioned gently, cradling the now 8 month old little girl against his chest. Hope rested her head on his shoulder and let out a slight sigh.

Yuma laughed to himself. "Good." He responded softly. He wandered over to his bedside table and picked up the key, awkwardly slipping it around his neck and holding it between his fingers.

"Astral?" He whispered. "You there?"A brief flash of light announced the blue spirit's arrival. Astral smiled down at his partner and his daughter, the latter a tiny clone of himself.

"Good morning, Yuma." Astral said kindly. Yuma smiled up at him, rubbing Hope's back and slowly swaying back and forth.

"I'm gonna go get some breakfast. Would you like to join me?" He asked, looking up at Astral.

Astral's face lit up. "Of course."

Astral floated along behind his young counterpart, smiling as he watched Yuma sit Hope down on a blanket on the living room floor where he could keep an eye on her.

Yuma handed the little girl a colorful set of keys, which she gratefully took from him and stuffed into her mouth. He chuckled and patted her on the head before wandering into the kitchen in search of food.

Once there, he spotted a note on the countertop from his grandmother indicating she and Akari had left earlier in the morning to do some shopping. He set the note to the side and pulled out a box of cereal, emptying the contents into a bowel and sitting down at the table facing his daughter.

Astral settled himself against the wall behind Yuma, his gaze also focused on their young daughter. Many mornings began like this; a comfortable silence between two partners as they lovingly spent some quiet time alone with their child. Yuma looked back at Astral briefly and they smiled warmly at each other, neither having to say how happy and proud they were with their situation. The road getting there had been difficult, but worth it.

Yuma's smile elongated even more as he watched Hope scurry and crawl around the room on her hands and knees, sounds of delight and fascination coming from her and a rather large grin on her face. She had started crawling a month or so prior but she was still captivated by every little thing, whether it be the carpet on the floor or the fabric of the couch. Her little hands wandered over everything and her knees would turn red from the constant friction.

The tender moment was interrupted by a sharp cry and a stream of wailing howls. Yuma immediately dropped the spoon he had been holding and ran to his young daughter, whom amidst her exploration had bumped her head into the coffee table.

"Oh, Hope," Yuma whispered gently, cradling the tiny girl's head into his chest and began rocking her back and forth. "Shh, it's alright. It's alright…"Astral watched with a smile as he continued to be marveled by Yuma's remarkable parenting. Once she was in his arms Hope always instantly stopped crying. Yuma's soft voice must have been like heaven to her ears, relieving her pain and calming her. Hope's wailing had lessoned to nothing more than a hiccup as Yuma leaned away from her slightly to examine the bump on her forehead.

"You're alright, sweetheart." He said, running his thumb over her skin. "No harm done!"

Yuma kissed her forehead and tickled her chin, which sent her into a fit of giggles. Her laughter was one of Astral's favorite sounds in the whole world. Yuma set her back down on the floor and she immediately grabbed for her toys and went about herself as if nothing had happened.

Yuma and Astral watched her until Astral's eyes caught notice as to what time it was.

"Yuma," he began "Are you not going to be late for school?" He pointed a finger towards the clock on the wall and Yuma frowned.

"Yeah, I guess." He responded sadly. "I'll go get changed."Astral watched Yuma head up the stairs and he sighed sympathetically. He knew how much it hurt the young boy to have to leave Hope all day while he was at school. Yuma had still never told any of his friends about her besides Kotori for fear of the child's safety.

They became a bit suspicious when Yuma refused to take his shirt off for their swimming lesson as he did not want them to see the very evident scar stitched across his stomach. That would lead to a long list of questions that Yuma was not comfortable answering. He was able to convince his grandmother to write him a note that would excuse him from the swim meet. This alarmed his friends even more so towards the health and safety of their friend.

Yuma shrugged off the attention and explained to his friends that he had been ill for a while, and was much better now, but still needed time to heal. This was a good enough excuse for them, and no more had been said about it.

Yuma tightened the strap of his backpack against his waist as he stumbled his way down the stairs with a very noticeable frown on his face. Astral couldn't help but feel sorry for him as he watched Yuma lean down to pick Hope up and cover her with kisses.

"Don't worry, honey." Yuma whispered to her softly. "Daddy has to go to school today, but he'll be home soon, okay?" He kissed her forehead again and she whimpered as if she understood.

Yuma tried to smile through his guilt. "Astral's going to be with you all day!" He said with feigned excitement. Hope squealed with delight and turned towards Astral, holding out her arms. Astral smiled and propped the girl onto his hip, leaning down to kiss Yuma. Although the two couldn't make contact outside of the key, they were still loving with each other. They also knew it would have a profound effect on Hope if they showed affection in front of her.

"I know it's hard for you, Yuma," Astral stated. "But just try to have a good day, okay? Hope and I will be right here waiting for you when you get home."

Yuma smiled and nodded, pretending to grasp his partner's hand gently.

"Thanks, Astral. You're the best."

A brief moment of silence passed until Astral spoke again.

"Do you have everything you need?" he asked, pointing towards Yuma's backpack.

Yuma opened the bag and quickly sorted through it.

"Ah, darn! My homework's still up on my desk…"

Yuma removed the bag from around his shoulder and quickly scampered back upstairs to collect the neglected papers. He shuffled through them to make sure they were all there before his eyes caught the dresser in front of him. He smiled to himself as an idea came to him and he opened the top drawer. Inside was a neatly folded row of tiny pink socks that Yuma had purchased for Hope. Even though Astral had insisted that beings of his kind didn't get cold, Yuma still was unconvinced and bought the socks anyway, along with other assortments of accessories to protect his daughter against Heartland's ever-changing weather. Although he had washed the little pink socks many times before, they still carried Hope's scent, which brought Yuma a lot of comfort.

He grabbed one of the pink socks and stuffed it in between his homework papers before running back downstairs and shoving them into his backpack. He gave Hope another quick kiss before heading out the door and off to school.

…

Yuma crawled through the back of the classroom in the hopes that his teacher wouldn't notice his tardiness. He didn't, thankfully, as he was most likely used to it. Yuma was able to quietly slip into his desk next to Kotori, who was scowling at him slightly.

"Yuma, are you _ever_ going to be on time?" She asked, annoyed.

Yuma smirked and shrugged. "Maybe. Someday."

Kotori chuckled and watched as Yuma sloppily pulled a stack of crinkled papers out of his bag.

"Did we go over any of these yet?" He questioned.

Kotori reached over and began to sort through the messy pile.

"We went over the math one about ten minutes ag-

Kotori stopped as the little pink sock dropped from the pile of papers she had been holding up. Yuma blushed wildly in embarrassment but Kotori instantly knew the reason why the tiny piece of fabric was there.

"Awww, Yuma…!" She cooed playfully.

Yuma frantically tried to shush her, waving his arms childishly.

"Kotori!" He called in a whisper. "I don't want people to see, remember?"

Kotori held the sock in her hands and smiled at Yuma teasingly.

"You brought this to school with you because you miss Hope, didn't you? Do you always do this?"

Yuma shook his head. "Nah, I just thought of it today. I really do miss her…" He trailed off sadly.

Kotori pouted at her friend and rubbed at his back tenderly.

"That has got to be the _cutest_ thing_ ever_!" She said. "You're such a good daddy."

Yuma blushed again and smiled sincerely at his best friend.

"Thanks, Kotori." Yuma said before quickly snatching the sock from her. "Now put it back! I don't want anyone to see!"

"Alright, alright!" Yuma stuffed the sock back in between the papers but quickly opted not to as their teacher began collecting everyone's homework. Yuma panicked and stuffed the sock into his pocket.

Within due time, the bell rang loudly and it was time for duel period, which was Yuma's favorite part of the day and the only thing that could really take his mind off of how much he missed his daughter.

Tetsuo approached Kotori and Yuma from behind and slapped the latter on the back.

"Hey, Yuma!" He called. "Are you up for a little duel?""With you?" Yuma said. "Heck yeah, I'm _always_ up to kicking your butt!"Yuma jumped up from his chair excitedly and reached for his deck. Unfortunately, his gesticulations were a little too wild and the pink sock flew unceremoniously from his pocket and onto the floor.

Yuma's eyes widened, as did Kotori's, as they both followed Tetsuo's gaze to where the tiny piece of pink fabric had landed.

"Uh, Yuma…?" Tetsuo began, leaning onto the floor and picking the sock up. "Is there a reason why a _baby's_ sock is in your pocket…?"

Yuma's arms were glued to his side stupidly as Kotori covered her mouth with her hands.

"Uh, um, well, you see…" Yuma stammered, his eyes aimed at Kotori as if asking for her assistance.

Kotori shook her head, unsure of what to say. Tetsuo was about to shrug off the occurrence until he noted how suspicious his friends were being.

"What the heck is going on here?" Tetsuo asked.

"That's my…um…cousin's! Yeah, it's my cousin's…" Yuma answered finally.

Tetsuo crooked an eyebrow. "Um, since when do you have a baby cousin?"

"Since, you know, she was born…" Yuma replied.

Tetsuo nodded slowly. "Riiiight. And, what was this doing in your _pocket_?"

Yuma's face shifted its expression about 7 times before he answered again.

"Must've gotten mixed up in the laundry…"

Yuma studied Tetsuo's face, his expression unconvinced and unchanging.

"Does this have anything to do with why you were out all that time? Because you've been acting really weird lately. You too, Kotori." Tetsuo said, pointing an accusatory finger at the both of them.

Kotori jumped, bringing up her binder and using it to hide her face. After several minutes, Yuma sighed, grabbing both of his friends by the arms and leading them in a more secluded direction.

"Alright, Tetsuo. I'll tell you. But you're never going to believe me…" Yuma began.

"Of _course_ I'd believe you!" Tetsuo cried. "After all this Astral nonsense I'd believe anything."

Yuma took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before speaking again.

"Alright. Here's what happened…"

…

…

Annnnnd there's chapter 1! Again, sorry it took so long to get to this! I felt like I had no free time there for a while! Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome back, all! Thank you to all who read and reviewed chapter 1! So, let's get on with chapter 2!

…

…

Yuma gulped and tried to settle his nerves with a couple of deep breaths. His eyes shifted back and forth from a confused Tetsuo to a concerned Kotori. He offered the latter a comforting smile and began his explanation.

"Tetsuo…" Yuma started. "There's something you should know about Astral and I…"

Tetsuo's eyebrows raised and he snorted.

"Yuma, I don't need _those_ kinds of details."

Yuma whacked him on the shoulder irritably and tried to continued his story. He held the key in between his fingers and raised it up towards his friend's face.

"This key gives me and Astral a special kind of power. It's called 'Zexal', and it allows Astral and I to combine our bodies. I'm not 100 percent sure of it's main purpose just yet, but all I know is that it can be used to help save the Astral World, the place where Astral comes from…"

Tetsuo nodded his head, somewhat understanding.

"Okay…?" He questioned, motioning with his hand for Yuma to elaborate further.

Yuma sighed and swallowed. "Do you remember that time Kaito stole my key?" Upon Tetsuo's nod, he continued. "Well, Astral and I had to use Zexal to get it back, and…something went wrong."

Tetsuo's eyes widened in concerned for his good friend."What happened?"

Yuma looked to Kotori, who smiled at him reassuringly.

"Some of Astral's energy stayed inside me, and, well, started to… _grow._""Grow…?" Tetsuo said uncertainly.

"Yeah," Yuma replied. "Into…a baby."

Yuma closed his eyes and waited for his friend's response. When there wasn't one, he opened his eyes to find Tetsuo staring at him and wide eyes and his mouth agape. Tetsuo looked over at Kotori, who was smiling as if to validate the information. He looked back to Yuma and without warning burst out into hysterical laughter.

"Tetsuo!" Yuma cried. "Stop it!"

Tetsuo wiped a tear from his eyes and slapped himself on the knee.

"A baby? Come on, Yuma, pull the other one! You seriously expect me to believe that you - a BOY - were out from school all that time because you had a _baby_?" Tetsuo exclaimed through his laughter.

Yuma's eyebrows furrowed in offense and he frowned.

"It's true!"

"Riiiiight." Tetsuo teased. "And maybe someday I'll get pregnant with a unicorn!"

Kotori rolled her eyes as she watched her friends argue.

"Tetsuo, stop! He's not joking!" She cried defensively, reaching over to wrap an arm around Yuma's shoulders.

Tetsuo immediately halted his laughter when he noted the hurt in his friend's eyes. Yuma stared down at the floor as he felt tears threatening to fall. He watched as Kotori patted Yuma on the back comfortingly and he gulped.

"You…you're serious?" Tetsuo asked in disbelief.

"Yes!" Yuma called quietly, but refusing to look his friend in the eyes.

"And you're in on this, too?" Tetsuo asked Kotori, poking her arm slightly.

Kotori placed a hand on her hip and nodded firmly.

"Yes! And _this_ is exactly why _I_ was the only one Yuma wanted to tell in the first place!" She huffed, turning her head to the side and sticking her nose in the air.

Tetsuo immediately felt guilty and regretted his reaction. He walked closer to his friend and patted him lightly on the arm.

"Sorry, Yuma." He said sincerely.

Yuma looked his friend in the eyes and smiled.

"Don't worry about it," He said quietly. "It's not like it's something that happens everyday. I totally understand you're reaction."

The three friends stood in an awkward silence until Yuma grabbed Tetsuo's arm and smiled.

"Do you want to meet her?" He questioned excitedly.

Tetsuo cocked his head in surprise.

"_Her_?" He said. "It's a '_her'_?"

Tetsuo smiled as Yuma held up the pink sock he had picked up off the floor earlier and grinned brightly. Tetsuo laughed and uncharacteristically pulled his friend into a hug, which Yuma gratefully returned. Kotori threw her arms around both boys as they celebrated Yuma's joy together.

…

Yuma practically started skipping as the trio exited school and began making their way to Yuma's house. Yuma was still clinging tightly to Hope's pink sock and his heart was racing with the anticipation of getting to hold and cuddle his little girl after what felt like days. Tetsuo and Kotori followed behind him laughing amongst themselves at their friend's giddiness. When they reached Yuma's house, said boy practically sprinted to the front door and swung it open wildly. His delight increased more as he was greeted by the sight of Hope laying on her blanket on the living room floor with Astral lying on his stomach next to her. Astral looked up and smiled as his young counterpart entered the house and immediately approached them.

"Hope!" Yuma cried enthusiastically. "Look, I'm home!"

Hope squealed and began squirming about, practically rolling herself over amidst her excitement. Her arms reached out to her father and Yuma ran to her, throwing himself onto the floor and scooping her up greedily.

"I told you I'd be home soon!" Yuma cooed to her. "Did you have fun with Astral while I was gone?"

Hope clapped her hands and nodded, reaching out and gripping Yuma's face and planting a sloppy kiss onto his nose. Yuma bounced her joyfully and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

Tetsuo and Kotori admired the scene from afar; Kotori clasped her hands together and held them to her face whilst Tetsuo crossed his arms and smiled. He had never seen Yuma like this before and it was a rather refreshing sight.

Astral began rubbing Hope's back gently.

"She was a very good girl." He reported to Yuma. "But I know she misses you just as much as you miss her.""I bet." Yuma agreed, leaning towards Astral to return the kiss the blue ghost tried to give him. They eyed each other lovingly, Astral reaching up to pretend to stroke Yuma's face.

"Hey, Yuma, you know we're still here, right?" Tetsuo joked, interrupting their moment.

"Yeah, I know. You guys can come in and sit down! I want you to meet Hope, Tetsuo." Yuma said, motioning towards the sofa.

Tetsuo did as instructed and sat down, eyeing Yuma's daughter thoughtfully. He recalled the one time he had seen Astral before and therefore knew that Hope most definitely resembled him.

"Here, put your arms down…" Yuma instructed, placing Hope onto Tetsuo's lap. Tetsuo chuckled as the baby looked up at him and smiled, her one hand reaching up to poke at his chin whilst the other rubbed at his full stomach.

"I think she likes you, Tetsuo!" Kotori joked with a smile, sitting down next to her friend.

Yuma nodded and smiled in agreement.

"I think so, too!"

The friends laughed and joked together, Hope being passed between the four friends, including Astral, until Tetsuo spoke again, this time more serious.

"So, why didn't you want to tell me about this again?" He asked Yuma.

Yuma frowned, eyeing his daughter sadly.

"I don't want you to think that I don't trust you, or anything. I just…wanted to protect her. That's all…"

Tetsuo nodded in understanding. He knew that there were a lot of people who were after Yuma and Hope would be an easy target to lure him in. Tetsuo concluded that revealing her existence to too many people could put her in a lot of danger.

"Yuma!" The group heard Yuma's grandmother call from the kitchen. "Dinner!"

"Would you guys like to stay?" Yuma offered to Tetsuo and Kotori.

"I think we'd better get home, it's kind of late." Kotori answered, handing Hope back to her father.

"Alright. I'll see you guys soon! Say 'bye', Hope!" Yuma cooed to his daughter, who waved her hand awkwardly at his friends, making them laugh. Yuma made his way into the kitchen with Hope nestled onto his hip before setting her down in her highchair and handing her a rattle.

"Be a good girl while we eat, okay?" Yuma said in a soft voice, smiling when Hope giggled and began biting on the toy in her hands. He joined his sister and grandmother at the table with Astral floating faithfully behind him, who joined the family in their dinnertime conversation as best as he could.

Time passed rather quickly as the family dined; the lighting outside changing from sunset to darkness. Haru offered her grandson seconds, which he quickly accepted, and moved to sit closer to her great-granddaughter.

"What's my favorite little girl doing?" Haru asked playfully, rubbing Hope's cheek with her finger. Hope looked up from nibbling on her rattle and smiled at her grandmother, high-pitched gurgles escaping from her mouth as a steady line of drool dripped down her chin, which Haru was quick to wipe away.

Yuma finished his meal and shrunk back into his chair, rubbing his bloated stomach and sighing contentedly. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Astral lean down towards him with a smirk on his face. Yuma turned to him and smiled.

"What is it?" He asked quietly.

"Well, I was thinking perhaps we could have some time alone tonight?" Astral said with a slight wink.

Yuma instantly smiled and laughed.

"Hey, grandma?"Haru looked up from tending to her granddaughter and smiled at her grandson.

"Yes, dear?""Um, would you and Akari mind watching Hope tonight so Astral and I can be alone…?" He questioned nervously.

Akari looked at her grandmother and winked.

"Don't worry, kiddo," She said. "We'll take care of her for you guys."

Yuma smiled. "Thanks, sis."

Haru and Akari watched as Yuma excused himself from the table and made his way upstairs, laughing and conversing with the invisible spirit. They looked at each other and smiled as Akari moved to lift Hope out of her highchair to bring her back into the living room.

…

Yuma lay on top of one of the rounded golden gears of the key's airship, his eyes closed and his mouth curved into a smile. Astral lay beside him, propped up onto his right arm whilst his left arm caressed Yuma's face gently. After some time, Astral leaned himself down to rest his head next to Yuma's, his mouth against his ear.

"Have I ever told you, Yuma," Astral began in a whisper. "That you are the most beautiful person I've ever seen in the entire world?"

Yuma turned towards him and opened his eyes halfway, smiling softly

"You have, actually." He joked, also in a whisper. "But thanks."

Astral chuckled and began awkwardly running his fingers through the boy's hair. Yuma reached up his right hand to run it over Astral's cheek. Astral shifted again, this time to lean over and kiss the boy's forehead.

"I love you, Yuma."Yuma closed his eyes again and nestled his face into Astral's chest.

"I love you, too, Astral."

Astral began kissing all over the boy's face whilst Yuma just laughed and laughed, absorbing all of the attention. The kisses then moved down to his neck, then his chest. Yuma looked down at Astral teasingly as said ghost began silently insisting that he remove his shirt. Yuma complied, shrugging off his vest and lifting the purple shirt over his head and exposing his chest, which Astral was quick to cover with more kisses. Yuma moaned quietly and scrubbed a hand through Astral's thick blue hair, urging him on. Astral moved back up to his face to kiss him tenderly on the lips before leaning back to look him in the eyes.

"You want to make love?" Astral asked the boy in a gentle whisper.

Yuma smiled softly and nodded. "Yes, I do."

Astral laughed quietly and kissed Yuma on the forehead again. Yuma reached down and took one of Astral's hands into his own and rested it over the buckle of his belt. Astral took the hint and assisted Yuma in the removal of the offending fabric until Yuma was as bare as Astral himself.

Astral settled himself between the boy's legs as they continued to kiss and laugh, Astral pausing to look the boy in the eyes affectionately. Yuma gripped Astral's face with both hands, holding it steady as they continued to admire each other. Astral was about to lean down to kiss on the boy's neck until a horribly familiar voice interrupted them.

"_How sweeeeeet_." The voice purred.

Astral and Yuma both stiffened in shock and fear, theirs heads turning simultaneously to the side where the source of the voice came from.

"_There's no need to stop,_" The voice continued. "_Do go on. I was very much enjoying myself…_"

The thick fog began to clear as the figure approached, easily recognizable by his remarkable similarities to Astral…

"Black. Mist…?" Astral whispered in uncertainty and fear.

"Why, of course!" His evil clone cried. "Who else?"

Astral immediately threw his body over Yuma's in an effort to protect the boy's modesty. Yuma shuddered and clung to Astral's back in terror.

"What's he doing here?" Yuma cried. "I thought you got rid of him!"

Black Mist pursed his lips and cocked his head.

"Yes. You _thought_ you got rid of me."

Astral reached around to get a solid grip on Yuma for fear of the boy's safety, one hand behind his head and the other on his back, pressing Yuma's face into his neck.

"What do you want?" Astral snarled in a half-yell, half-whisper, glaring daggers at his evil twin.

Black Mist clasped his hands together and held them in front of his face, tapping a finger against his chin.

"I was just thinking of all the _lovely_ things I'd like to do to that little girl of yours. I figured you had a right to know…" Black Mist purred dangerously.

"Hope…!" Yuma shouted fearfully. Astral's grip on him tightened.

"Don't touch her!" Astral screamed. "Don't you _dare_ touch her!"

"How do you know I haven't already?" Black Mist questioned mockingly.

Yuma began whimpering and pushing against Astral's chest in an effort to get away. To get away and make sure his daughter was safe.

"A-Astral…!" Yuma panicked. "We…we have to…_Hope!_ We have to…_get to her…_" Yuma trailed off in a whisper. He was beginning to hyperventilate.

Black Mist began roaring with laughter, hunching over and clutching his stomach.

"For Heaven's sake, little boy, _calm down_. I was just kidding. Your little love is fine…_for now._" He bit out.

And with that, Black Mist disappeared as quickly as he came. Astral barely had time to register what was happening as Yuma fought out of the blue ghost's grip and frantically began pulling on his clothes. With a flash of light, Yuma was gone from the key, and Astral hurried to join him.

The two found themselves in the attic, Yuma rushing and practically tripping over his feet to get to Hope's crib where he found the baby girl sleeping soundly, snuggled up with her rattle and a blanket where Haru and Akari had left her for the night.

Yuma immediately picked his daughter up and broke down into sobs, dropping to the floor and pressing the tiny girl into his chest, which surprisingly didn't wake her. Astral watched from the back of the room, still a bit in shock. Yuma continued sobbing and rocked Hope back and forth awkwardly, stopping to catch his breath and wipe the streams of tears from his face before they hit her skin. After several minutes Yuma's crying had lessoned and Yuma placed Hope back into her crib before crawling over to climb into his hammock and curling into a ball. Astral watched him sadly, still a bit unsure of what happened or what to do. Regardless, he opted that he should not retreat back into the key for the night and instead floated down to sit and the floor hugging his knees where he too began to cry.

…

…

Whew! Well, there's chapter 2! What do you think, guys? I 'hope' you're liking how it's going so far! I wanted to jump right in with the dramatics as opposed to just write a bunch of 'filler' chapters, you know? Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll meet you back here for chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Here I am with another update! Thanks for your lovely reviews, by the way.

…

…

Yuma rested his elbows on the rails of Hope's crib, his chin resting in his hands as the clock on the wall ticked away ominously in the background. The young father had spent the last few nights this way, as the threat of Black Mist harming his daughter kept him from earning a good night's sleep.

Astral always insisted that Yuma get to sleep and that he would take on the duty of watching over Hope, but Yuma's paternal instincts refused this. It was as much his job to protect his daughter as it was Astral's.

Astral peered behind him to eye the time. 2:30 am. He sighed, turning around to eye his young partner once more.

"Yuma," he began quietly. "You need to sleep. You have school tomorrow."

Yuma hadn't realized what day it was. There was no way he could go to school knowing how much danger his daughter was in.

"I can't, Astral." He responded.

"Can't what?""Go to school!" Yuma shouted irritably. "What if…something happens."

Astral approached Yuma from behind and lay a translucent hand against his shoulder.

"You have nothing to fear, Yuma," Astral assured. "I will be with her."

Yuma wiped the tears that were starting to form in his eyes as Astral lowered himself to his level.

"I know, but…" Yuma bowed his head as more tears threatened to fall.

Astral remained quiet and eyed his counterpart questioningly, encouraging him to continue.

"Black Mist has overpowered you before, Astral." Yuma finished softly.

Astral cocked his head and tried his best to offer the boy a comforting smile. When Yuma looked up into his eyes, the smile enlarged and Astral reached up in an attempt to touch his face.

"I'll tell you what," Astral stated. "You've been up all night, so go ahead and stay home today and then go back to school tomorrow, okay?"After some time, Yuma nodded his head. Astral backed away and Yuma resumed his position of peering into Hope's crib. His eyes began to feel heavy and within due time he was asleep on the floor. Astral couldn't help but laugh to himself, but was reassured that at least Yuma had calmed some.

…

"You're staying home today, dear? Are you ill?" Haru asked her grandson kindly when he informed her of his decision.

"I just haven't slept well the past few days. Hope's kinda kept me up, you know? I'm just not feeling too great." Yuma answered quietly, shuffling his feet and picking at his fingernails.

Haru patted her grandson on the shoulder.

"Alright then. Why don't you go ahead back upstairs and lay down? Your sister and I have to go out for a while but we'll be back for dinner. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?" Haru asked.

Yuma chuckled lightly and smiled.

"I'm not by myself, grandma, remember?" Yuma said with a wink.

Haru frowned before she understood.

"Ah! Of course." She peered upward over her grandson's shoulder.

"Astral, you take care of my boy!" She joked.

Astral, who was actually floating on the other side of the room, laughed and nodded.

"I will.""He said he will, grandma, don't worry." Yuma said, returning the hug Haru moved in to give him.

She kissed his cheek several times and squeezed him again before waving and heading outside to car here Akari was waiting. Yuma sighed in relief when she was gone. He didn't want his sister or grandmother to know what was really going on.

…

Yuma held Hope carefully against his chest as he sat on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV and rubbing her back gently. Yuma eventually settled on a cartoon and set the remote down on the table. He felt fingers on his chest and looked down, smiling when he saw Hope fiddling with the key with her tiny hands. Like most things she got a hold of, the little girl was quick to stuff the golden charm into her mouth.

"No, no!" Yuma urged gently. "Don't bite that, honey. It's daddy's, remember?"

Hope ignored her father and giggled, looking up at him and bright eyes. Yuma gently pulled the key from her and set it back down against his chest. He found her rattle and handed it to her.

"Here, sweetie. Play with this!"

Hope frowned and pushed the toy away, which fell out of Yuma's hands and back onto the floor. Yuma sighed, a bit annoyed, and reached down to pick it up and give it back to her. She responded with a similar reaction.

Yuma gave up and let the toy fall back onto the floor. He sunk back into the couch and shut his eyes until he felt Hope pull the key back into her hands.

"Heyyyy!" Yuma said playfully.

Hope squirmed against his chest and laughed, soaking the golden key, as well as her fingers, in saliva. Yuma groaned and took it from her again, wiping her hand on his shirt.

"Ugh," He said, a bit disgustedly. "Hope, I mean it! This isn't a toy. It's daddy's and Astral's, okay?"Upon saying Astral's name, Yuma suddenly became aware that his ghostly counterpart was nowhere to be found. He scanned the living room just to be sure, and his discovery confirmed his suspicion. No Astral. His heartbeat began to increase and he quickly switched off the TV, gripping Hope tightly and slowly wandering into the kitchen.

"Astral?" He tried to yell, but what ended up coming out was a frightened, hoarse whisper. Yuma swallowed the growing lump in his throat and clung tighter to Hope.

Her father's sudden change in demeanor alarmed the little girl, and she began whimpering. Hope entwined her fingers in the fabric of her father's shirt as Yuma tried to comfort her.

"It's alright, baby girl." He whispered. "Don't be scared."Yuma knew his own fear wasn't reassuring the girl any. He trekked over the first floor of the house one more time before heading upstairs to search. Yuma cautiously made his way up the stairs, calling Astral's name a few more times and his heartbeat increasing each time there was no response.

"Alright, Astral, seriously, it's not funny anymore." Yuma tried to say sternly, but his fear once again won over his bravery.

Hope began to cry, and Yuma would have, too if not for the little girl's presence. Yuma hugged her softly but stiffly, one hand behind her head, pressing her face into his neck.

"Shh, Hope. Daddy's here. _Daddy's here_…" Yuma repeated into her ear like a mantra,

bouncing her gently.

The last place Yuma had left to check was his room and the attic, neither of which he wanted to enter at the moment. He paused apprehensively outside his door before finally just throwing it open, closing his eyes for a second before opening them. He once again found the room empty and he grumbled to himself out of frustration and terror. He adjusted his arms so that he could both hold Hope and climb up the steep set of stairs.

He was greeted by yet another empty room. Yuma contemplated setting Hope down in her crib, but quickly opted not to and continued to cling to her. It was in that moment that he gave up his search and sat on the floor in tears, rocking and hugging his beloved daughter and overwhelmed by the fear he felt for his partner.

"Yuma…?"Yuma's head shot up and turned towards the window, where he found Astral peering in from outside.

"Astral!" He practically screamed, jumping up to approach him. Astral was alarmed when he saw that both his lover and his daughter were crying.

"What happened, Yuma?" Astral questioned feverishly. "Are you hurt? Is Hope hurt? What is going on…?""Don't scare me like that!" Yuma shrieked.

"What did I do?" Astral asked innocently.

Yuma was overwhelmed by more tears, as was Hope.

"I-I was calling you, and y-you weren't there…!" Yuma rambled through his sobs. "I didn't know where you were and I was scared! I thought something happened to you…! Please, _please_ don't do that to me again!"

Astral's eyes widened and he took Hope from Yuma, cradling the crying girl in his arms. Yuma sunk to his knees on the floor and continued sobbing. Astral took turns comforting both him and Hope, still unsure of what exactly had happened.

"I just wanted to sit outside for a bit," Astral explained guiltily. "I figured you wanted to stay downstairs with Hope. I am so sorry, Yuma, I never meant to frighten you…"

Yuma wiped his eyes and fanned his face, trying to calm himself.

"No, it's okay," he said through his tears. "It's just…this whole Black Mist thing has got me so worked up…"Astral smiled at Yuma as he began cuddling Hope, who was still crying.

"Oh, my precious angel. I am alright, there's no need to cry…" Astral cooed to the child, rocking her gently in his arms.

Hope eventually calmed down and settled herself against Astral's chest, fast asleep. Yuma and Astral admired her silently until Astral apologized again.

"No, it's okay, don't worry about it." Yuma said with a smile. Astral leaned in to pretend to kiss the boy's forehead, also smiling.

"Let's go back downstairs." Astral suggested.

Yuma nodded.

"Okay. Let me just wash my face up real quick…"Astral nodded and floated his way downstairs. Yuma exited the attic and set Hope down on his bed, across from the bathroom, where he could keep an eye on her. Yuma turned the water on and soaked a rag in the icy liquid, running it over his reddened face. He peered out the door every few seconds to watch over his daughter, laughing to himself as he saw she began trying to chew on his blanket. Yuma examined his face in the mirror and was satisfied that redness had lessoned substantially. He hung the rag onto the rack beside the mirror and turned to go get Hope when a black-clawed hand suddenly covered his mouth.

"Hello, there." Black Mist purred, digging his nails into Yuma's cheek. He slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it before shoving Yuma violently against the wall, his hand silencing the boy's terrified shrieks.

"Now, now, Yuma. Don't act so surprised! You knew I was coming." Black Mist taunted in a low voice.

Yuma shook his head back and forth, trying to loosen the monster's grip on his body. Black Mist's other hand grabbed his arm and sunk his claws into his skin. Without warning, the black ghost's tentacles appeared and slowly began wandering over the young boy's body, wrapping up and around his legs and torso. The sudden tightening of the tentacles constricted the boy's breathing and Yuma soon began to feel lightheaded.

Black Mist's hand soon left his mouth and Yuma used the opportunity to reason with him.

"Please," He pleaded. "Don't take Hope. Please don't hurt her. You-you can take _me_!"

Black Mist chuckled darkly.

"You're not so tough when you're put on the spot, now, are you? Pathetic. What on earth would I want with _you_?"

"Anything!" Yuma begged. "I don't care, just not my daughter!"

Black Mist laughed devilishly; he was very much amused by Yuma's desperation. It was exactly the reaction he wanted.

"Sorry, dear, but I have no use for you…_at the moment, anyway_." Black Mist sneered. He suddenly pulled Yuma away from the wall only to slam him back against it as hard as he could. Yuma's head hit the wall and the boy began to see stars. The tentacles surrounding his body tightened even more so, one creeping up to his throat and completely cutting off his airway. Yuma kept trying to think to himself that this was not happening as he watched Black Mist open the bathroom door and exit the room, still using his additional appendages to hold the boy in place against the wall.

Yuma watched in horror as Black Mist approached his daughter and picked her up, cringing slightly as the little girl began screaming. The black demon returned to the bathroom with Hope in his arms and held the child out to her father.

"Say bye-bye to daddy, Hope!" Black Mist cooed cruelly, fighting against the child as she squirmed viciously in his arms. Tears came to Yuma's eyes as his vision began to darken from a severe lack of oxygen.

In an instant, Black Mist vanished, taking Hope with him. The tentacles surrounding Yuma disappeared, but their effects remained. Bruises covered Yuma's body and he slowly sunk to the floor against the wall to try and catch his breath. His head ached as he felt a small drop of blood trickle down the back of his neck.

"_Astral…_!" He called weakly. His mouth opened and closed a few times as if he were a fish out of water until he found the strength to try again.

"Astral!"

"_Yuma…_?" He heard his blue counterpart's voice off in the distance. He sounded so far away…

Blackness closed in around Yuma's vision, but he fought with himself to stay awake. After several minutes of struggling, he knew it was useless. He cringed as the bruise on his arm began to throb mercilessly.

"YUMA!" He heard Astral scream. Why did he sound so far away…?

Yuma barely registered the blue ghost approaching him, asking him something. There was a sharp ringing in Yuma's ears. Yuma was unsure of his partner's question, but he answered it with their daughter's name.

Astral panicked as Yuma slowly slid down the wall and onto his side where he finally gave in to his pain.

…

…

DUN DUN DUN…! Alrighty, there's chapter 3! What do think, guys? Thanks again to all my awesome, loyal readers for your reviews! It really means a lot! I sure 'hope' you'll meet me back here for chapter 4! ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, readers! Sorry for the little wait, I got busy! Anyway, let's move right along with chapter 4!

…

…

Yuma opened his eyes to find himself lying in what appeared to be a hospital bed. He sat up slightly and looked around the room only to find Astral curled into a ball in the corner, crying. Yuma rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes and he began to pick up the sound of voices outside the door.

"_I don't understand!"_ One voice said. He recognized it as his grandmother. _"Why would someone hurt a little boy? And to take his baby…? It's just sick…!"_

"_Don't worry, Grandma," _The other voice replied. Akari. "_We'll get to the bottom of this…"_

Yuma looked back to Astral, who had his head buried between his knees and had yet to notice that his charge had awaken. Yuma still felt a bit confused as to what had happened or how he got here.

"Astral…?"Astral's head perked up quickly and he seemed immensely relieved by the sound of his partner's voice. His crying increased as he neared Yuma's bed.

"Oh, Yuma," The blue ghost started. "Thank goodness…!"

Yuma was about to question him when the door burst open and a sobbing Haru rushed to her grandson, embracing him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, my baby!" She cried through her tears. "Oh, my poor sweet Yuma! Are you alright, dear?" She began petting his face gently.

"Grandma…?" Yuma croaked weakly. "What's going on?""Oh, sweetheart, you don't remember…?" Haru asked, her hand stilling in the stroking of his cheek.

Yuma thought for a second and then shook his head. His memories of the day's previous events had been jumbled by his concussion.

Akari sat next to Yuma on his bed and began rubbing his back.

"From the looks of it, someone must have broke into the house while we were gone. They attacked you and…and…we think they might've kidnapped Hope…"Yuma's eyes widened and his breath hitched.

"What?""Don't worry, dear, we're trying to figure this out!" Haru assured. "We couldn't tell the police about her, though, because, well, you know…""…She's not exactly a _normal_ baby." Akari finished.

Yuma shook his head in disbelief.

"Hope…she's gone? Someone took her? Someone took my baby…?"Haru and Akari watched in unspeakable sadness as Yuma stared into his empty hands and began crying. He then looked over to Astral, the last person he recalled seeing before he blacked out.

"Astral!" He cried. "You were there, what happened?"Astral eyed Yuma's sister and grandmother curiously, knowing they couldn't see or hear him. He opted to answer his partner regardless.

"Black Mist got himself out of the key somehow. He attacked you and took Hope! I was downstairs when it happened…I heard you calling me so I went upstairs and…" The spirit's voice cracked as he struggled to hold back tears.

"I first found you on the bathroom floor. You were bleeding…! Then I noticed Hope…" Astral trailed off as if he were still in shock.

Haru and Akari remained quiet as they figured the blue ghost was still talking. Yuma stared at Astral sadly.

"Did you try to go after him?"Astral nodded. "Once your sister and grandmother got home and you were safely tended to I went inside the key to look around, but I found nothing…"

"Go after who?" Akari asked.

Yuma thought as to whether or not he should discuss Black Mist's existence with his family. He figured if they believed him about Astral, they would believe anything.

"You remember the number cards I collect, right?" Akari nodded as her brother explained. "Well," Yuma continued. "There's one that's kind of…an evil version of Astral. We got into it a few months back and he's been out to get us ever since."Haru's eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

"So, where is Hope?"Yuma looked to Astral, who shook his head sadly and shrugged.

"We don't know…"

…

"Aww, aren't you just precious?" A wicked voice cooed, dragging a fingernail down the little girl's jaw line. Hope jerked her head away quickly in disgust.

Black Mist frowned playfully as the child spat at in him baby-talk, attempting to form insults against her kidnapper.

"Now, now," Black Mist said darkly. "Does your father know you talk like that?"

Black Mist extended his hand again to the girl's face but she was quick to slap it away, blowing a raspberry at him and kicking her legs.

"What's the matter, love, you don't like me?" Black Mist questioned in feigned disappointment, cocking his head and pouting childishly.

Hope crossed her arms and suddenly rolled herself over onto her stomach, attempting to make a quick getaway. Black Mist laughed and grabbed the girl by the waist, lifting her up so she was face-to-face with him.

"No, no, princess! You're not going anywhere!" He said. "We have to wait for daddy, remember?"Hope babbled away angrily and lashed out a stubby arm, hitting the evil number square in the face.

"You little…!" Black Mist growled, raising a hand and preparing to strike the girl. He froze as he saw Hope cringe before she burst into tears. She fought her way out of his grasp and dropped to the floor, scurrying away on hands and knees to crawl away from the monster.

Hope moved as fast as her little body could, which unfortunately for her wasn't very fast at all. Black Mist merely floated along behind her, taunting her. Hope stopped her crawling and turned back towards him, sticking her tongue out at him and slapping at his legs.

"Da! Da da da!" She cried in her own little language, pointing a threatening finger towards Black Mist. At first the monster was unsure as to what she meant, but as she continued to babble he began to catch on.

"Oh, Hope," Black Mist began. "Are you upset because I hurt your daddy?"The little girl thrashed at him again, her hands making contact this time as Black Mist felt her tiny fingernails scratch against his skin. He reached down and picked up the helpless little girl again.

"Listen, angel," He said with feigned sympathy. "I didn't mean to hurt your daddy! I just had to teach him a lesson! Just like he'll do with you when you misbehave. Isn't that right?"In and instant, Hope lunged forward and bit the black ghost on the nose. He grimaced in pain and nearly dropped her again.

"_You_," Black Mist bit out dangerously. "Are a very naughty little thing! You're quite lucky I haven't _killed_ you yet…"Black Mist heard the baby growl slightly as she began sucking on his thumb, eyeing him with an angry and offended glare.

"_I'm just waiting for your daddy to get here_." The monster said with a chuckle.

…

Astral couldn't take much more of this. It was the third night in a row that Yuma had cried himself to sleep. He did not bother to climb all the way up into the attic and instead chose to sleep in his bed, where he lay currently with his face in his pillow as he soaked it with tears. The two had spent those last three days searching the key left and right for their daughter, but to no avail. Astral concluded that Black Mist must have taken her to a very secret and secluded part that not even he knew about, but he was determined to find her.

Astral sat on the bed beside his young counterpart, wishing there was something he could do but knowing their was nothing.

"Yuma, come on, enough of this. You need to get to sleep." Astral said, trying to encourage the boy.

Yuma raised his head up and turned towards Astral.

"Why should I get to have a good night's sleep when my daughter is trapped somewhere with a maniac, scared and alone?" He said through his tears, his voice cracking in his dry throat.

Astral bowed his head. "Yuma, laying here crying about it is not helping the matter. If we keep searching we will find her."

"Whatever, Astral." The boy responded in heartbreak and frustration. Astral already knew his reassurance wasn't going to help and he didn't know why he even bothered trying. He stood off of Yuma's bed and moved to sit next to him on the floor, staring into the dark room as tears came to his own eyes. The sudden sound of clapping echoed through the room ominously.

"Ah, good show, little one! Good to know you're still just as pathetic as before!"Astral shot off of the floor the same time that Yuma's body jolted, both turning their attention towards the familiar intruder.

"What have you done with our daughter!" Astral demanded. "Answer me, damn it!"Black Mist came forward as the moonlight from the window illuminated his dark form slightly.

"Astral! What terrible language to use in front of the _child_." He sneered, looking over Astral's shoulder towards Yuma, who was now sitting up on his bed.

"What did you do to Hope!" Yuma screamed. "If you hurt her, you'll be sorry!""Yes, yes, I'll be sorry." Black Mist mocked. "Just shut _up_ for once, will you, boy?"Astral growled and moved his body in front of Yuma, trying to protect him.

"What do you want? What do you _want_ from us? What does kidnapping our daughter have to do with _anything_? She's done nothing to you!" Astral cried.

"We've never officially settled our score! Have you forgotten what you two did to me? I won't stop until both of you are _dead_." Black Mist explained.

"Astral's already beaten you twice!" Yuma cried. "You just can't accept the fact that Astral is more powerful than you!"

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet back there?" Black Mist said, pointing a finger towards Yuma. "Or shall I teach you another lesson…?"Astral's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare…!" He spat dangerously. "If you hurt Yuma again…!"

"You'll what?" Black Mist replied.

A silence fell over the room as the two spirits exchanged glares. After some time, Black Mist chuckled to himself and shrugged.

"Well," He began. "Regardless, I came here to invite you two to a little show inside the key! I figured you'd both want to be there to say goodbye to Hope when I _kill her_."

In a flash of light, Black Mist was gone. Astral turned to Yuma and neither of them needed to say a word. They simultaneously closed their eyes and focused their energy, transporting themselves inside the key in the hopes of saving their daughter…

…

…

Ta-da! There you have it, chapter 4! For those who follow me on Tumblr, you know that my sister's about to have a baby! So, that might mean my updates might not be as frequent as they were with 'Power of Love'. But I'm 'hoping' to update as often as possible! I'm tossing around a few different plot ideas that I think you guys will like, so until then, until then!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello my darlings! Yes, I know it seems as though I fell off the face of the earth for a while there, but I assure you I did not! My sister just had a baby and I've been spending a lot of time with him, not to mention my boss has been working me a lot more now that summer is approaching. It's been hard to find time to sit down and write…until now! So, without further ado, the long awaited chapter 5!

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…

The inner sanctum of the key was dark and uninviting; even more so than usual. Yuma noted that he could barely see his hand in front of his face and that the air was thick and smelled toxic. He coughed, cringing and bringing a hand to his chest. The only plausible light was coming from the glow of Astral's body, who was carefully floating about the blackened abyss waving his hands gently as if trying to detect a threat.

"Astral," Yuma began in a whisper. "What's happened here?"

There was no audible response. Astral merely turned towards him and placed a finger to his lips, gesturing for Yuma to stay silent. Yuma eyed him worriedly but continued to follow along. Astral suddenly halted, causing Yuma to crash into his back. Yuma brought up a hand to his aching nose.

"Ow! Geez, Astral, what are y-

Astral covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes widening and scanning the darkness. Yuma assumed Astral could navigate this realm far better than he himself could.

"I can sense her…" Astral whispered in Yuma's ear.

"Hope…?"Astral nodded. "Yes."

"Where is she?" Yuma urged quietly.

Before Astral could answer, crying registered in their ears. Cries that were soft, yet weak and distressed. Yuma grabbed onto Astral's arm as they began making their way towards the noise.

"_Look, Hope,_" A familiar voice called in the distance. "_I think your daddy's here…_""Black Mist!" Astral called. "Leave her alone!"

The crying suddenly stopped when Hope heard Astral's voice. She began babbling in an attempt to call her father. Yuma's heart pounded in his chest.

"Don't worry, Hope, we're here!" He yelled in reassurance.

Without warning, the sound of flesh roughly meeting flesh echoed in the darkness and Hope's shrieking returned. Yuma was horrified by the idea of his daughter being physically harmed. The lighting of the key returned slightly and Yuma and Astral were greeted with the sight of Black Mist with his tendrils wrapped tightly around little Hope. It was then Astral realized the little girl's pale blue skin was starting to blacken.

"What are you doing to her…!" Astral cried in distraught.

Black Mist shrugged. "Same thing I did to you, or do you not remember?"

Yuma shook his head in disbelief. Astral cleared his throat and adjusted his posture.

"I will give you one last warning. _Leave her alone_."

Black Mist tightened his hold on the child in response, the darkness from his body creeping further onto Hope's as the girl's crying began to die down.

"Please don't do this…!" Yuma pleaded, hoping his desperation would instill some guilt into the demonic monster.

"I intended to kill her," Black Mist began. "But you know, I've taken quite a liking to her. I think I'll keep her. _All_ _to myself_…"

Yuma attempted to thrash forward but was held back by Astral. Instead, Astral lunged towards the two in an attempt to save his daughter but was held back by what felt like an invisible electric barrier. Yuma and Astral could only merely stare in shock as the remainder of Hope's skin turned black and she became a miniature copy of their worst enemy. The child was silent; her crying had stopped but now she seemed as though she displayed no emotion at all. Her seemingly lifeless eyes gazed off blankly.

Black Mist loosened his hold on Hope and pulled her towards him, holding her against his chest.

"Ah, what a sweetheart she is." He said, patting her lightly on the back. Tears coursed in streams down Yuma's face as he and Astral were too late to stop what had already happened. Astral tried to be brave for Yuma but ultimately succumbed to his emotion.

"No…! NO!" Yuma shrieked continuously, dropping to his knees and covering his face.

"That's riiiiiight." Black Mist taunted. "She's all mine now. You think you're more powerful than me?" He said, pointing to Astral. "Ha! I think this proves a bit different."

Yuma barely registered the black spirit off and leaving with his daughter. Normally, Astral would be quick to retaliate but he too was too emotionally stunned to even think straight. He felt as though a piece of his heart and soul had been torn from him. He joined Yuma on his knees and sulked against the boy's shoulder, soaking his shirt with his tears. Yuma threw his arms around the blue ghost and sobbed. Their most precious belonging was gone…

…

Yuma stared blankly at Hope's empty crib. He was seated on the floor fiddling with one of her pink blankets with his fingers. Astral floated behind him, his arms crossed and a vacant expression on his face. Yuma felt a tear drip from his chin and soak the fabric of the plush blanket in his hands. He brought the fabric to his face and inhaled his daughter's scent in the hope that it would comfort him but it only brought more anguish.

"Isn't there something you can do…?"Astral heard the gentle question from his partner but was unsure of how to answer it. The truth was, he _didn't_ know what to do. Astral was forced to admit to himself that Black Mist was, in fact, more powerful than him.

"I'm sorry, Yuma…" Astral trailed off. Yuma bowed his head and continued to cry.

"Yuma?" A female voice called.

Akari knocked gently on the ceiling before entering the attic, her heart crushing at the sight of her little brother so devastated. The loss of her niece had hurt her terribly as well, especially when Yuma had divulged the truth about her disappearance. At first, she was reluctant to believe it but ultimately knew by her brother's reaction that it was true.

Akari sat down on the floor next to Yuma and patted him on the leg. Her mind raced, searching for something to say that would comfort her young brother.

"Oh, Yuma. I promise everything will be okay…"The uncomfortable silence that followed only made her heart heavier. Akari hugged her brother tightly, pushing his head against her shoulder and rocking him back and forth. The sight of the grieving siblings brought tears to Astral's eyes.

When she pulled away, Akari offered her brother a smile and ran a hand through his hair.

"Try to get some sleep, okay?"Yuma nodded, wiping a tear from his puffy, red eyes. He returned a soft smile to his sister.

"I believe Akari is right, Yuma." Astral said. "You need to sleep."

Yuma nodded up at his friend and climbed up into his hammock, still clutching Hope's little pink blanket between his fingers. Astral was unsure as to how much time had passed until he heard Yuma's breathing even out, indicating him to be asleep. This relieved Astral somewhat and he lowered himself to the floor in front of the boy's hammock.

The only thing Astral could do to occupy himself in the darkness was watch the clock tick away on the wall, illuminated by the moonlight pouring in from the window. He counted each tick until couldn't stand it anymore. He was desperate to find something to keep his thoughts off of his daughter.

…

Astral yawned as he awoke on the hardwood floor of the attic. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before bringing a hand back to rub the kink out of his neck. He stretched slightly before immediately halting the action. Wait…had he been…_asleep_? Astral almost panicked. Why had he been sleeping?

It was then he noticed how much darker the room had become. The clock on the wall appeared to be no longer visible. Or was it? Wait, now it was. Then it wasn't. Yes. No. Yes. No. What…?

Astral rubbed more sleep from his eyes and compared the scenario to when the clouds pass over the sun. There were no clouds indoors, what was going on? He yawned again. His head felt heavy.

Moonlight was still creeping in from the window, although it wasn't nearly as bright as before. Astral watched the clock again with another yawn, the moonlight making it appear visible briefly until a stream of black mist covered it again.

Black mist…

…

…

Dun…dun dun dun….DUNNN! Shorter chapter than usual, but I wanted to make sure I left on a cliffhanger! So, what do you guys think is going to happen? I'm curious. I can also promise that I most certainly won't keep you guys waiting as long for chapter 6! I seriously felt bad…I was at work like 'ahhhh I have a fanfic to update"! Anyway, I'll be sure to post the next chapter most likely within a week 'cause I'm not as busy as I was before. So until then, until then!


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, readers! Here I am, presenting you with a gift. I call it: Chapter 6.

Astral quickly shot off of the floor, the hazy, blackened air making it hard to see. He waved a hand in front of his face and the thick fog parted briefly. It seemed as though it was worsening as the room had darkened considerably and Astral could no longer see any moonlight.

"Yuma?" Astral called, remembering that he was not the only one in the room. When there was no response, Astral became alarmed.

"Yuma…?" He tried again, but was met with similar results.

Astral began thrashing his arms sporadically around him, trying to clear the misty air around him so he could see the attic better. It was no use.

Astral inhaled a deep breath of air and gagged slightly as some of the dusty air lodged into his throat. The heaviness returned in his head, only this time an aching sensation accompanied it.

Astral moved himself forward and reached out his hands, searching for the walls, only to remember that this was useless seeing as he couldn't touch anything. His brain was scattered with thoughts of what to do or what was going on.

Those thoughts were interrupted by a sudden choked cough coming from down below him. Astral tried to clear the air again so he could see Yuma.

He was met with a very worrying sight; the young boy was curled up into a ball in his hammock. His hands were clenched into fists and his face was clenched in what Astral assumed was pain.

"Yuma!" Astral called again when he noted that the boy appeared to be shivering, yet the temperature of the room had remained static. One of Yuma's fisted hands lowered from its previous position near his face to his stomach. Yuma pressed against his abdomen and moaned in his sleep, bringing his knees up higher into his chest.

"Aw, poor baby." A voice purred from behind Astral.

Astral quickly turned to face his demonic counterpart; the black mist of the room absorbed together to create said monster's normal form. The attic appeared back to normal as Yuma's body was illuminated by the moonlight.

"What is going here?" Astral demanded.

Black Mist shrugged sheepishly.

"I've just come back for a visit, if that's alright with you."

Astral snarled dangerously and leapt in front of Yuma.

"Leave. _Now._ You've done enough to us! Where is our daughter?"

"She's with me, of course. She's doing very well, you know. I think she likes me better!" Black Mist chirped.

Astral had to restrain himself from physically attacking the monster.

"But, if you'd _really_ like to know why I'm here," Black Mist continued, and then trailed off and turned his back to Astral, who's anger only increased more.

"What! What do you want!"

Black Mist opted not to answer and instead pointed down towards Yuma, who was still curled up in his hammock.

"You want _Yuma_?" Astral questioned angrily. "Stay away from him!"

Black Mist rolled his eyes. "No, no, Astral, I just came here, because, well, you see…"

Black Mist trailed off again and Astral was instantly on him, his hands gripped tightly around the black ghost's throat. The former easily pushed them off and smiled cruelly at Astral.

"It's awfully lonely for little Hope in the key. I thought she could use a playmate."

"So, you're taking Yuma with you?"Black Mist continued to smile childishly and slowly shook his head.

"I'll be taking what's _inside_ of Yuma."

Astral's eyes were as wide as they had ever been when he realized what Black Mist meant. His hand slowly raised to cover his mouth in shock, disgust, and horror. Astral's mind raced…he needed confirmation…

"You…y-you mean…"

"That's right, Astral." Black Mist affirmed. "Your little boyfriend is expecting again. Congratulations! But, sorry, it's not yours." Black Mist cackled darkly to himself, staring down at Yuma, who was turned onto his other side in his hammock but with his body still stiff with agony.

"The little twerp is carrying Hope's baby brother or sister! Isn't that nice?" Black Mist said with feigned excitement and a wicked smile, both of Astral's hand were over his mouth as he suppressed the urge to throw up, eyeing his young counterpart with overwhelming concern.

"…How?" Was all Astral could think to question the dark spirit.

"Well, I knew I wouldn't be able to touch the boy with _you_ here, so I used my powers to, well, put you to sleep! A little while later, the deal was done! And there's _nothing _you can do about it." Black Mist waved a tentacle menacingly in Astral's face.

Astral was overcome with guilt at the thought that Yuma had been so horrifically _violated_. Then, his head swarmed with the thought that perhaps Yuma had also been asleep the entire time and was unaware of his current situation.

"Oh, don't worry. _He knows_." Black Mist purred, as if he had read Astral's mind. Tears came to Astral's eyes and his heart weighed heavily. He had failed to protect Yuma from one of the worst things that could've ever happened to him.

"Hope says hello, by the way. I think she's excited to be a big sister!"

And with that, the blackened spirit was gone. The room was eerily silent aside from Astral's quiet crying. He leaned down next to Yuma's hammock, where he pretended to lay his head beside the boy's, and sobbed. Sobbed harder than he ever thought he could. First they had lost Hope, and now _this_?

"Astral?" He heard Yuma's soft voice call to him. Astral picked his head up and Yuma was surprised to find him crying. The pained guilt in Astral's eyes revealed to Yuma that he knew what had happened to him, and Yuma, too, began to cry.

"I'm so sorry," Astral whispered to his partner through his tears "_I'm so sorry_…"

"It's not your fault." Yuma responded, wanting so badly to hug his ethereal partner.

"It must have been terrible…" Astral trailed off, his tears stopping his voice.

"It wasn't too bad." Yuma said, it was then Astral noticed the bruises on his face. "I just kept thinking about you and Hope. It made me feel better."

"What should we do? Should we get rid of it?" Astral questioned.

Astral watched sadly as Yuma sat his head up slightly, straining to swallow.

"We can't."

When there was no response, Yuma continued.

"He said…that…if we tried to abort this baby he would kill Hope."

Astral bowed his head.

"But, Yuma…this baby could kill _you_."Yuma shook his head slowly and frowned.

"I don't care. I don't want Hope to get hurt. We thought Hope was trying to hurt me, but she wasn't. Maybe if we show this baby love, too, it won't hurt me."

Astral nodded in understanding, although he was still overwhelmed with worry for his young lover. After all, Yuma barely survived Hope's birth…

Astral brought up a translucent hand and pretended to it through Yuma's hair. He wanted so badly to just grab the boy and hold him and never, ever let him go. Yuma smiled weakly, his head turning more towards Astral.

"I love you." Yuma whispered.

Astral chuckled, wiping away a tear.

"I love you, too."

The couple gazed lovingly into each other's eyes for what felt like hours. Astral then noticed Yuma's hand clenching again over his stomach and grew concerned.

"Are you in pain?"

Yuma nodded slightly. "Yeah."

"Is it bad?"

"My stomach is really…I don't know, tight? There's this really deep, like, aching pain. Sort of underneath my bellybutton…" Yuma pointed to the area with his fingers. Astral rested a hand over the area, desiring so badly to rid the boy of his suffering. Yuma started crying again and Astral couldn't help but cry along with him.

"I'm really scared, Astral." Yuma whispered.

"I know, honey."

Yuma smiled at the reuse of his pet-name.

"You'll stay with me, right?"Astral nodded. "Always."

Yuma seemed slightly reassured by that answer and soon was fast asleep. Astral rested his head back down beside the boy's as he continued to cry to himself for the remainder of the night.

Well, there you have it, folks! Chapter 6! Sorry for the little wait there, again! I really gotta stop tha. Stupid work! Anyways, thanks for reading, and as always, see you next chapter! xo


	7. Chapter 7

Hiiiii, people! Man, I really gotta stop leaving so much time between updates! Damn you, work! Ah, well, thanks for being patient!

…

…

Black Mist sat in a tranquil silence inside the key, his legs crossed and his eyes closed. Little Hope sat in his lap, her normally bright a cheery eyes were filled with sadness and discomfort. She missed her father. Or, rather, her _fathers_. Black Mist had cruelly informed the little girl about her oncoming sibling, and even though she was unsure of what this meant she knew that her beloved Yuma was in serious danger.

Hope shoved a blackened thumb into her mouth, the texture of her new skin was clammy and cold and nothing like Astral's. It made her cringe and she mewled in disapproval. Black Mist laughed and began petting her hair, a gesture which only made her cringe more and squirm to try and get away.

"Oh, Hope, you belong to _me_ now, remember?" he said, his claws digging into the child's scalp. "You'll get used to your new body, I promise."

Even though she was just a tiny baby, Hope was still reeling from the effects of the sudden change in her appearance. She felt sad and lonely, and it almost seemed as though she was forgetting more and more about her fathers with each passing day. Black Mist had warned her that all of her past memories would be forgotten in time as she adjusted to her new life.

Hope thought of Yuma and Astral often to allow their memories to remain strong in her mind before the inevitable darkness took her over and she, too, became evil like Black Mist. This was most certainly not what she wanted, but she knew she had no choice.

As much as she loved Astral, Hope had always felt her love for him was overpowered by how strongly she felt for Yuma. Astral was a wonderful parent and offered her all the attention in the world, but there was something about Yuma. She could get lost in his big, red eyes that said a thousand words without the boy ever having to open his mouth. Hope knew how much Yuma loved her without ever having to tell her. Yuma could smile with his eyes, and when he paired this with a real smile Hope's heart would leap with joy.

Then he would sing to her softly; his voice was like heaven to her ears. It was the one sound she waited for before bed each night. His young, gentle tone made her stomach tingle and she would laugh and laugh. Little did she know that someday Yuma's young voice would change, but she wouldn't care. She would never care.

"You're going to be a good big sister, now, aren't you, little one?" Black Mist whispered, his lips pressed awkwardly against the child's ear. Hope whimpered. She hated Black Mist. He was cruel and vulgar and disgusting, and not only that, but he had hurt both of her fathers. He got _joy_ out of hurting them and in turn this hurt Hope.

Black Mist's hand stalled in the stroking of her hair and moved down to Hope's face. He cupped her chin and tilted her head upwards so he was looking down at her.

"That baby's going to come a lot sooner than you think." He said with a chuckle.

Hope didn't want to imagine what was going to happen next…

…

Astral sat in silence on the floor of Yuma's room where said boy was curled into a ball in his hammock, his swollen stomach practically disabling him from his everyday routine. It had been almost a week since that…_encounter_. Astral was unsure of what to even call it. Yuma had barely spoken a word, and Haru and Akari were becoming increasingly concerned and alarmed.

The latter two women climbed up into the attic for what must have been the tenth time that day, Haru carrying a thermometer and Akari a tray of food. Akari set the tray down on his nightstand and leaned down to get a good look at her sleeping brother.

"Yuma?" She called lightly, pressing a gentle kiss against his forehead and shaking his shoulder. She swallowed hard when the only response she received was a pained moan and a twitching in his hands. Yuma's knees were pressed up against his chest while his arms were planted firmly between them. His chin was tucked into his chest and his eyes were squeezed shut. Akari tried rousing him again and was met with a similar response. She turned to her grandmother.

"There's no way this is just because Hope was kidnapped…I can understand grief, but…"Haru shook her head in response, she was also stumped. Astral observed them with guilt and sadness. He knew they deserved to know what had happened but he had no way of telling them. As if she had read his mind, Akari spoke up again:"I wish we could talk to Astral about this. I'm sure he's here."

Akari scanned the room quickly even though she knew she wouldn't be able to find what she was looking for. She sighed and leaned against Yuma's hammock, her fingers methodically massaging into his scalp.

Yuma moaned appreciatively and leaned into her touch. His eyes opened blearily and he struggled to lift his head up.

"Astral?"Akari adjusted herself so she was eye-level with him and smiled.

"No, baby, it's me. It's Kari."

Yuma sighed and smiled weakly at his elder sister, moving his head back and forth and encouraging her movements as her hand continued to work into his hair.

"I don't feel good."Akari turned towards Haru again with a worried expression. Haru shrugged and waved her hand, persuading Akari to continue the conversation.

"What happened, Yuma?" Akari asked in what may have been the kindest tone she had ever used with her brother.

"I'm scared." Yuma responded, barely above a whisper. "I don't wanna die."

This answer horrified Akari and she had to fight to suppress her tears.

"Why would you think something like that?"

"Because he said I would."Akari was confused. "Who? Who said you would? Astral?"Astral jumped when he heard his name. He shook his head feverishly. Yuma was in a very bad state both physically and mentally and was about to reveal their current situation to his family, something Astral felt would be a very bad move…yet there was nothing he could do to stop him.

"No, not Astral. The other one." Yuma shifted in his hammock, a pained cry escaping from his throat. Akari quickly moved to help him onto his back. Yuma stared up at her with glazed eyes. Akari rubbed her hand up and down his arm.

"Yuma," She said, this time more stern. "You need to tell me everything, okay? Who's 'the other one'? There's another Astral?"

Yuma inhaled a few deep breaths before he felt he could speak again.

"He's like Astral, only different. He's evil. He's the one that kidnapped Hope…"

Haru's hand shot to her face in alarm. She joined Akari at Yuma's bedside.

"Then…that would mean _he's_ the one that hurt you…" Haru thought back to Yuma's recent hospitalization.

Astral floated near the back of the room, his hands covering his face. He couldn't fathom Haru and Akari's reactions to what Yuma was going to say next…

Akari continued her attempts to comfort her brother while Haru began lightly stroking her fingers around her grandson's knee. Yuma clung to Akari's arm for support.

"What did this…_evil Astral_ do to you?" Akari wondered fearfully. Astral turned and faced the wall.

"Well, about a week ago, he…" Yuma's throat clogged with tears and he tried his best to fight them. The bruises he had obtained were fading, but the memories were not…

"He what!" Haru cried, shaking his leg. "What did he do!"

Yuma's face clenched and tears dribbled down his cheeks. "He came out of the key while I was asleep. I'm not sure how, but he did something that put Astral out so he could come after me. When I woke up, I felt something _inside _of me and I realized…what he was doing to me."Haru let out a sound of horror, shock, and disgust. She immediately grabbed her grandson into a hug whilst Akari stood back, losing the fight to hold back her own tears.

"Oh my _god_…" She muttered under her breath.

"I'm pregnant again…" Yuma revealed. "And…it's his. And he says it's going to kill me and if I try to get rid of it he'll kill Hope!" Yuma was rambling at this point. He briefly noticed Astral huddled into a ball in the corner, hiding his face in his knees.

"It's not your fault, Astral."

Both Haru and Akari turned to where Yuma was looking. Even though they couldn't see the blue spirit, they wanted to help comfort him as well.

"Don't worry, Astral." Haru said. "We'll figure something out…we'll help Yuma and get Hope back."

Astral smiled amidst his sadness, looking the elder woman straight in the eyes. He raised himself off the floor and approached Yuma for the first time in days, leaning down to place a kiss onto his partner's face. Although there was no real contact, Yuma could still feel a swell of cool energy radiating from Astral's body. Yuma smiled, reaching up a hand to pretend to touch Astral's face. Haru and Akari watched in amazement as Yuma tenderly shared affection with thin air, the touching moment bringing tears to their eyes.

"I love you." Yuma said, his gaze piercing into his lover's multicolored eyes.

"I love you, too, Yuma. So very much."

Yuma's eyes closed contently and his head lolled to the side. Astral rested his head next to his partner's abdomen, silently offering him prayers. Haru lay a hand over her heart and sighed with as much of a smile as she could allow.

"I'm going to get you an extra blanket, dear. I'll be right back.""Thanks, grandma." Yuma said, his eyes remaining closed.

Akari leaned against the wall and closed her own eyes. She inwardly contemplated what to do. Any decision they made would hold her brother's life in their hands. Akari would feel guilty for the rest of her life if anything ever happened to him.

Yuma suddenly began moaning again, his hands clenching over his swollen stomach. He let out another groan, and then another until his cries of anguish turned piercing. Akari rushed to him, gripping his shoulders and trying to help him find a suitable position. Yuma quickly shoved her aside and began throwing up. Not bothered by this, Akari rushed to him again, helping him to sit up. Yuma vomited again harshly and Akari cringed in disgust as a thick, black, tar-like substance dripped from his mouth and onto the floor.

'_Oh my god_…' She thought to herself. 'What _is_ that?'

Yuma began crying and Akari quickly grabbed the napkin off of the tray of food she had brought up and wiped his mouth. Yuma clung to his sister as if she were his lifeline, Akari quickly returning the gesture. She rubbed her hands up and down his back as Yuma's agonized cries echoed throughout the attic, bouncing off the walls and making her ears ring. Astral, too, tried to help but knew it was no use.

Yuma hid his face in his sister's chest, completely unaware that his grandmother had returned to the room and encased him in a blanket, asking Akari what was happening. Akari didn't respond and instead gathered her brother into her arms, surprised that he was light enough for her to carry. She set him down in the downstairs bathroom in front of the toilet where he continued vomiting in between bouts of hysterical sobbing.

"It hurts, Akari!" Yuma whined through his pain. "_It hurts_! Please help me it _hurts_!"

Akari held Yuma against her chest and thought hard before picking him back up and returning him to the attic, not caring if Haru and Astral were behind her or not. She needed to save her brother. She needed to save her niece. She needed to do it _now_.

"We need to get this baby out." Akari said, her voice laden with frustration.

Haru shook her head.

"Akari, we can't!" Astral agreed with the elder with a shake of his own head.

"I don't care what that…_thing_…says, he's not going to get away with this!"

Akari lay her brother flat on the floor and turned to where she thought Astral was standing.

"Astral," She started. "You need to help me! We need to get rid of this baby!"

Astral's hands gesticulated wildly. Despite the fact that the child was potentially evil, he knew how badly Yuma wanted it to live. Not only that, but Hope would be killed as well. He couldn't betray Yuma's trust.

When the grating silence became too much for her, Akari let out a frustrated cry.

"Fine! I guess I'll have to take care of this myself!"

Akari once again gathered her brother into her arms but was quickly stopped as the room began to darken.

"_Not so fast, little girl…_"

…

…

DUN. DUN. DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN! That's right, folks! It's almost that time! Man, there's nothing better than a little Yuma-angst I always say! It makes every Zexal story better. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in chapter 8!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, readers! Sorry I keep making you wait…it's just that I get so busy that I have a hard time finding the chance to sit down and write! Argh! Oh, well, it helps build the suspense. Anyways, on with the 8th chapter!

…

…

Akari held tightly onto Yuma as a cloud of black dust surrounded the attic. To her and Haru's surprise, Astral's glowing form suddenly appeared to them, as did Black Mist's. They both gasped in surprise as the grisly figure approached them.

"I'll handle things from here on, little girl." Black Mist slurred, waving a tentacle threatening at Akari.

"No way, you creep!" Akari shouted. "Stay away from us!"

Astral jumped in front of the Tsukumo's, his instinct telling them to protect them at all costs. He was especially worried about Yuma and Haru.

"If you want a fight, Black Mist, than pick one with _me, _not my family!" Astral retaliated.

Haru and Akari exchanged glances, surprised at hearing Astral call all of them his family.

Black Mist rolled his eyes.

"That's very sweet of you, Astral, but I am not bothered by the _them_," He said, gesturing towards Akari and Haru, who had their arms clung tightly around Yuma.

Yuma shifted slightly in his sister's grasps, one hand moving to clutch his aching stomach. He felt a strange sensation against his abdomen, similar to what he felt when he was pregnant with Hope.

Hope…

"Where is my daughter?" Yuma demanded weakly.

"Shh, Yuma…" Haru calmed. "We'll handle this, don't worry.""Yes, boy, listen to the elder." Black Mist taunted, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"As far as your _daughter_," He continued, spitting out the word as if it were poison. "She is with me. And as I told you before, she is very excited to be a big sister! I was going to wait a little while before I sent the Yuma into labor, but I think maybe now is a good time, don't you? I mean, since the 'family' is all here…"Astral growled as Black Mist raised a hand, a cloud of purple energy forming at his fingertips. The energy streamed its way over to Yuma, who inhaled it involuntarily and coughed. Within seconds, Yuma felt the movement in his abdomen increase dramatically, and his eyes widened in terror as the scar across his stomach from Hope's birth started to open…

Haru and Akari began to panic, both of their hands pressing against Yuma's stomach. Akari ripped a piece of fabric from her shirt rather aggressively, holding it against her brother's skin in an attempt to stop the slow flow of blood.

Yuma's breathing had become labored at this point and his eyes were squeezed shut. He was crying silently, almost too weak to make a sound. It was then that Astral noticed that the atmosphere they were in had changed completely and they were no longer in the attic of the house, but inside of they Emperor's Key. Astral noted that neither Haru or Akari seemed to notice as they were too busy tending to Yuma.

"Why are we inside of the key…?" Astral questioned softly to himself, gathering both of the girl's attention. Akari and Haru looked around frightfully; the thick darkness was surely overwhelming to a newcomer.

"Don't worry," Astral said, leaning down to them. "You are perfectly safe here."

Black Mist laughed. "Yes, you two may be, but not _everyone_…"

A sudden flash of light blinded the group and Yuma began screaming as his skin began tearing even more so. The blood flow was not as it could have been, Astral noted, and although the scar was tearing slightly, Yuma's skin had yet to completely break. The fetus inside of Yuma began kicking wildly and Yuma shrieked, his entire body jolting in an attempt to compensate for it. He wrestled himself out of his sister's arms to lay himself flat against the ground. Yuma had no idea where he was; he just wanted this whole thing to be over.

Black Mist crossed his arms and drummed his fingers against his elbow, smiling cruelly as he watched Akari and Haru helplessly try to save their beloved Yuma. He snapped his fingers and closed his eyes, relishing in the sounds of Yuma's screams. Yuma's throat was scratchy and dry; his voice breaking with every pained cry.

Astral quickly tried to conjure up his powers to fight Black Mist, his hands coming up to focus his own energy. Astral jerked his hand several times before holding his palm up to his face in shock.

"What have you done to me? Where are my powers?" He demanded of the other, who merely shrugged.

"That is what the mist was for, remember? It takes away your powers so that I may do as I please." Black Mist answered nonchalantly.

"But…we are inside of the key now…!" Astral cried.

Black Mist shook his head in feigned disappointment.

"I never said it would wear off right away. Do you think I would just _give_ you back your powers? How foolish do you think I am?" The black ghost responded. He new that Astral would put up a fight to save Yuma no matter what.

Astral was horrified knowing that there was nothing he could do to save Yuma. A rare tear came to his eye and he admitted defeat to himself, turning towards his young comrade and watching sadly as the boy grew weaker and weaker, the creature inside of him eating away all of his energy. Astral lowered himself to the ground next to Haru and Akari, the look in his eyes confirming their fears.

"There's…there's _nothing_ you can do?" Haru questioned through her own tears. She began to cry more when Astral shook his head sadly, offering her a comforting smile even though he knew it wouldn't help much. Haru leaned onto Akari, who had her head against Yuma's forehead, and sobbed. Yuma continue to whine and moan weakly, the baby inside of him having torn most of his muscle. He was starting to feel one hand scratch against his ribs whilst the other prodded against his scarred stomach, the skin pulling and more drops of blood seeping out.

Black Mist chuckled darkly to himself as he eyed the sight before him, almost as if he were watching a movie. He opted not to increase the child's power and instead force Yuma to suffer a slow death.

A sudden sound echoed throughout the key; a noise that nearly matched the sound of an approaching airplane. The family, as well as Black Mist, turned their attention towards the source of the sound and were shocked to find a humongous gold-plated monster surging towards them. No. Not towards _them_…

"My word!" Haru cried. "What is that?"Astral squinted his eyes, opening and closing them several times to make sure it wasn't an illusion.

"It's…it's…HOPE!" Astral cried with joy and relief.

Black Mist's eyes widened. "What…?" Before the demon had a chance to turn, he was knocked off balance by the monster. Black Mist struggled to stand himself upright and just as he had done so he felt the Number's hand grab him in a death grip. Black Mist screamed bloody murder as Hope began to crush him with every ounce of strength he had and within seconds his palm had closed completely. All of the Tsukumo's - and Astral - were completely silent as Hope slowly opened his palm, a thin trail of blackened dust slipping off of it.

"You…killed him?" Akari asked. The monster bowed his head and nodded to his master's elder sister, who smiled slightly in return.

The family also watched as Hope reached behind his shoulder and gently lifted a little blue baby off of his back, holding his hand down to their level. Tears came to all their eyes, especially Astral's, as Hope began squealing at the sight of them, crawling her way down Hope's fingertips and towards her family.

"Hope!" Astral cried, shooting up and holding his arms out to her. "Hope..!"

Hope held her arms out to Astral, tripping over herself as she tried to crawl at the same time. "Dadada!" She babbled with a scream. Astral threw himself onto the ground and picked her up, cradling her tightly against his chest.

"Oh, Hope…! I'm so glad you're finally safe…" Astral said, rocking her back and forth.

"So…Hope is named after _you_?" Akari questioned to the Number, who nodded in response before sadly looking down at Yuma, who had finally stopped his whimpering.

"…Yuma!" Akari called worriedly. "Are you okay?""He's gone?" Yuma whispered in disbelief. Akari pet his hair and nodded. Yuma sighed in relief as best as he could, still reeling from the torture he had received.

"The baby…" He said, barely above a whisper. "It's still there…"Akari and Haru both looked up at Astral, who's eyes widened. Astral looked up towards Hope, who silently instructed everyone to move aside. The group watched as Hope kneeled next to Yuma and gently lifted the boy's hand off of his stomach. The monster then brought forth his sword, which alarmed Haru and Akari, but Astral was quick to assure them that the noble Number meant no harm and knew what he was doing.

Hope slowly began to split open Yuma's stomach, his sword cutting along the scar from his previous pregnancy. Hope motioned calmly with his body for Yuma to take deep breaths. Yuma turned his head towards his family and for the first time noticed his little daughter was back. He smiled brightly as Astral began making his way towards him.

"May we sit with him?" Astral questioned the Number quietly. The monster nodded, motioning with his hand for Astral to sit himself by Yuma's head. Astral held onto their daughter with one arm whilst the fingers on his other hand interlaced with Yuma's.

"Hey, pretty girl." Yuma said weakly, smiling up at his daughter, Hope giggled and snuggled her face further into Astral's shoulder. She reached out her arms towards her father but Astral held her back.

"Daddy can't hold you right now, love, okay? Just hang on." The alien soothed.

Astral let go of Yuma's hand and strummed his fingers across his forehead, Yuma's face clenching in slight pain as the monster began tenderly removing the fetus from his body. Hope held the child up to Yuma and Astral, who were both shocked to find that the child was, in fact, blue as opposed to black. They looked at each other with confusion as the Number lay the child delicately against Yuma's chest before using his powers to stitch the boy back up.

"Astral…" Yuma started, unsure of what to say. Astral shook his head in response, both utterly bewildered by the situation. "I thought that wasn't Astral's baby…?" Haru questioned softly to Akari as both woman watched from the side.

"Perhaps…" Astral began. "It was ours the who time…?"Yuma laughed slightly and smiled up at his partner. "There must've been some of your energy still inside my body…but since he was the one who…_did that_ to me, he thought it was his…"

"It's almost like…a miracle!" Astral whispered in shock, tears of joy coming to his eyes. He had previously been horrified by the thought of raising such a cruel creature's child.

Astral and Yuma looked up towards their loyal number and smiled. The monster bowed in response and reached down a finger to lightly pet the newborn on the back. He then moved over the little Hope and patted her on the head and she giggled wildly in response.

"Thank you, Hope. For everything…" Yuma said sincerely as Astral nodded in agreement.

Haru and Akari also approached the scene, offering their thanks to the giant yet gentle monster. 39 smiled at the attention and bowed again before focusing his energy and allowing the now extended family to return to their home, and before they knew it, they were back in the attic. Astral snuggled his nose against Hope's forehead as Yuma rubbed his new baby's back gently. It was then that Yuma laughed to himself.

"Hey, Astral." He said, looking up towards his ethereal partner.

"Yes, Yuma?""It's a boy."

…

…

Phew! Well, the new baby is here! And it's NOT Black Mist's…yay! Again, sorry to keep everybody waiting. I know you guys were all waiting very patiently and I always felt so guilty because I was off doing something else when I really wanted to be writing! Well, this fic is winding down now and the drama is over, so I'll meet you here next time for chapter 9!


	9. Chapter 9

Howdy, readers! Yes, I know the end of this fic is massively overdue..and I sincerely apologize! I got really busy between work and, you know, life! So, without further ado…the finale, chapter 9!

…

…

Yuma smiled softly and looked up at Astral as the little blue newborn nestled itself tenderly into his chest. A tear slid slowly down Yuma's cheek and he laughed quietly to himself.

Astral leaned down and kissed his beloved partner's forehead, a skinny blue hand entwining itself in the boy's bushy black locks. Astral wanted so badly to say something but all his words had escaped him; he just stared down at his lover and son with more love than he ever could have imagined.

Yuma caressed a hand gently up and down his son's spine; the tiny infant lay sleeping soundly on his chest.

"He's so perfect…" Yuma marveled to Astral quietly.

Astral nodded in agreement until he felt Hope prodding against his shoulder, not fond of the fact that her baby brother was hogging all of the attention.

Astral chuckled. "Oh, princess, you're perfect too!"

Hope squealed and nuzzled playfully against Astral's shoulder before reaching her arms out towards Yuma.

"Da!" She cried, stretching her limbs as far as they could go and wiggling her fingers. Yuma and Astral smiled and laughed to each other as Astral adjusted so that he could help Yuma sit up. Hope slid off of Astral and latched onto Yuma's arm. Yuma leaned down and kissed her forehead gently.

"Hey, angel. I missed you!" He whispered lovingly.

Hope smiled and continued babbling, pulling on her father's arm and pressing a sloppy kiss onto his cheek.

Yuma wrapped an arm around her back and nodded towards the sleeping baby on his chest.

"This is your brother, Hope. What do you think?"

Hope frowned and whined in disapproval.

"You don't like him?" Astral said disappointedly, kissing the tot's cheek.

Hope shook her head and grabbed onto Yuma's arm again. Judging from her body language, Yuma assumed she wanted him all to herself.

"Now, now, we can't be selfish!" Yuma warned, rubbing her back gently. Hope whined again and Yuma looked towards Astral with a smile.

Akari and Haru, who had been watching from afar, came forward to help sooth the little girl.

"Having a little brother is fun, Hope!" Akari assured, nudging Yuma's shoulder.

"You know both of your daddy's love you very, very much." Haru chirped in.

Hope eyed her baby brother again before she reached out a hand to touch him. She pulled it away quickly, but Yuma carefully grabbed her wrist and encouraged her to interact with her brother. Hope scooted forward and awkwardly pet a hand up and down the baby's back. After a while, she giggled and smiled up at her father.

"See? He's not so bad, right?" Yuma joked.

"Da! Dada…" Hope babbled again, still laughing to herself. She then leaned forward and tried to grab her brother off of Yuma's chest but was quickly pulled away by Astral.

"Sorry, honey," Astral said. "You can't hold him, you're too little!"

A comfortable silence passed over as the group watched Hope play with her new brother. Astral ran his hands through Yuma's hair and leaned down to kiss him. Haru reached over and placed a hand on the blue ghost's back. Astral was unsure as to what the gesture implied, but he had a feeling she was thanking him for taking care of her grandson and giving him a family. He nodded towards her with a smile.

"Hey, Astral…?" Yuma called up to his partner.

"Yes, Yuma?""He needs a name, don't you think?"Astral laughed to himself.

"Oh, my, how could we forget that?"Akari smiled. "Do you have any names picked out?"Astral shook his head. "Well, because of what we thought the circumstances were, no…what do you think, Yuma?"

Yuma sighed and looked down at his son, still sleeping peacefully against his chest. He admired the baby's blue skin adorned with gems and tattoos. It was so soft to the touch that it almost felt like silk against Yuma's hand. He smiled to himself and looked up at Astral.

"I want to name him after you."

Astral was caught off guard by that response.

"After _me_?"Yuma nodded. "Yeah. But, not _totally_ after you…something _inspired_ by you…""Like what?" Akari questioned.

"I'm thinking…Astro…" Yuma answered.

Astral chuckled to himself. "I think that's perfect, what do you think, Hope?" Astral asked, leaning down and tickling his daughter under the chin. Hope squealed in approval and hugged Astral's arm tightly.

"Hope and Astro." Haru marveled, a tear coming to her eye. "My precious, precious grandbabies…"

Astro stirred slightly against Yuma's chest and yawned, Yuma copying the action and laying his head back against Astral.

"You're tired…" Astral observed, rubbing Yuma's forehead gently.

"We should probably get out of here." Akari suggested.

Astral nodded in agreement and went to gather his babies until Haru stopped him.

"We'll take the kids, dear. You help Yuma."

Astral smiled at her and nodded before leaning down and assisting Yuma, who had propped himself up onto his hands. Astral cringed as he heard Yuma hiss slightly in pain.

"Are you alright?" Astral asked, kissing the boy's neck.

Yuma's eyes were clenched, but he nodded.

"I'm really sore." He confirmed, pointing down to the scar on his stomach.

"Let me help you…"

Astral gathered the boy tenderly in his arms; Yuma wrapped his arms around his neck and rested his head against Astral's shoulder. Astral looked around and realized that Haru and Akari had already gone. He smiled to himself and looked back down at Yuma, kissing the top of the boy's head.

"I love you." Astral whispered tenderly in his ear.

Yuma smiled, his eyes closing slowly as he began drifting off to sleep.

"I love you, too, Astral."

"Life is good." Astral heard Yuma whisper to himself sleepily after a lull of silence. He chuckled to himself and agreed, kissing the boy's head affectionately.

Astral rocked the boy back and forth gently, his face pressed against Yuma's scalp as they relished every second of the time they were able to spend interacting with each other, knowing that in a few short seconds they would no longer be able to touch.

…

Haru and Akari nearly jumped out of their skin as Astral and Yuma suddenly appeared in the room: Yuma lying in his hammock and Astral somewhere they unfortunately couldn't see. Haru approached her young grandson with a smile.

"We put Hope to bed," She said, motioning with her hand towards the crib in the corner. "But we don't have anywhere for Astro to sleep yet," She then motioned towards Akari, who was holding the sleeping infant against her chest.

Yuma sat up slightly and waved towards Astral, who was floating beside him.

"Let Astral take him for the night. He hasn't gotten to hold him yet." Yuma instructed sleepily.

Haru smiled and turned towards Akari, who cautiously walked forward as she was not sure where exactly the blue being was in the room. She stiffened as she felt the baby being lifted off of her chest and both woman marveled as it appeared that he was being held by thin air.

Yuma smiled proudly at the sight that his sister and grandmother couldn't see. Astral nuzzled his nose against the top of Astro's head, the tiny baby asleep against his chest with his head on his shoulder, one hand fisted by his face. Astral rocked him gently and ran a hand up and down his back, smiling down at Yuma.

Haru and Akari kissed Yuma and Astro goodnight and exited the attic. Astral then moved himself so that he occupied the space where Yuma's grandmother was by his bedside. Yuma reached out a hand and rubbed his son's back before falling asleep, his arm hanging off the side of his hammock.

Astral chuckled to himself as the boy began snoring and floated away from his bedside and towards Hope's crib, where he nuzzled her cheek gently with his finger. She giggled in her sleep and a proud tear came to Astral's eye.

As he floated in the room with his three favorite people, he had never felt so happy. So loved. So _in_ love. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "_Thank you_." He whispered. He didn't know who he was thanking, but he just felt like there was something out there that had given him and Yuma this chance at life together. Astral wiped the tears from his eyes and lay his head against Astro's. His hand continued to pet through Hope's hair as she wrapped her hand around his finger in her sleep. Astral laughed.

Yuma was right. Life was good.

…

…

DA..DADAAAAA! And…it ends! Sorry it took so long! But I'm glad you guys are so patient, I really appreciate it! And, as always, thanks for reading! I'll be sure to have some more Zexal stories out soon-ish (and by soon-ish I mean sometime in the next 25 years) that I hope you guys enjoy! Until then, until then! (No I'm totally kidding…it'll be more like 15 years)


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